Abstract
Phytopathogenic bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum seems to possess 60 to 70 type III effectors. However, their functions in plant cells have not yet been elucidated. Recent studies indicate that various membrane trafficking systems in plant cells play important roles in defense responses. In this study, we examined whether R. solanacearum effectors affect vesicle trafficking in eukaryotic cells. When 44 R. solanacearum effector genes that we have previously identified, were expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, at least, 6 effectors showed an ability to interfere with vacuole-targeted transport of the CPY-Inv fusion protein in yeast cells. Using Arabidopsis expressing GFP-CT24 which is a GFP fusion with a vacuole-targeting signal, we are now examining whether these effectors affect vesicle transport in plant cells where they exert pathogenicity. Adding these results, we will also discuss the contribution of these effectors on the pathogenicity of R. solanacearum on host plants.
